Key Facts

Key Facts

Key Facts

time and place written · January–November 1951;
New York City, Nantucket

date of first publication · 1952

publisher · Viking

narrator · The story is told by a third-person narrator who is
not omniscient and who greatly resembles John Steinbeck himself.
In this sense, the narrator may or may not be a direct mouthpiece for
the author. In addition to conveying the events of the novel, the
narrator provides commentary and interrupts the story frequently
to discuss human history and the human condition more broadly.

point of view · The narrator speaks in the third person and shifts
viewpoints among various characters, including Adam Trask, Cal Trask, Samuel Hamilton, Cathy Ames, Joe Valery, and others. The narrator’s authorial
intrusions into the story often include musings in the first person.

tone · Philosophical; foreboding; nostalgic; hopeful

tense · Past

setting (time) · 1862–1918

setting (place) · The Salinas Valley in northern California, with several
episodes in Connecticut and Massachusetts

protagonists · Adam Trask; Cal Trask

major conflict · Aware of the legacy of evil that he has inherited from
his mother, Cal Trask struggles with the question of whether he
is destined to be evil himself or whether he can overcome this evil
by free choice.

rising action · While his sons are still boys, Cyrus Trask works as
an army administrator and amasses a fortune, probably through embezzlement.
Cathy Ames arrives on the Trasks’ doorstep, and Adam falls in love
with her and marries her. Adam and Cathy then move to the California,
where Adam meets Samuel Hamilton and Cathy unsuccessfully attempts
to abort her unborn children. Cathy gives birth to Aron and Cal
and promptly deserts the family. The crushed Adam does not know Cathy’s
fate until Samuel reveals one day that Cathy is working at a nearby
brothel. Although the revelation hurts Adam, he eventually confronts
Cathy, recognizes her evil, and rejects her. Later, Cal too finds
out about his mother’s profession. He struggles with this knowledge
but keeps it from the fragile Aron. When Cathy confronts Cal one
day, he stands up to her attempts at intimidation. The increasingly
withdrawn Aron, meanwhile, retreats into the shelter of the church.

climax · Cal, enraged and jealous when his father rejects Cal’s
gift of $15,000,
takes out his anger on Aron by telling him about their mother’s
life as a prostitute. Cal then takes Aron to see Cathy at her brothel,
fully aware that the revelation will destroy Aron.

falling action · Shocked by the revelation about his mother, Aron enlists
in the army, while Cal gradually wins the love of Abra Bacon. Aron
is killed in World War I, and Adam, on his deathbed, finally gives his
blessing to Cal.

themes · The perpetual contest between good and evil; the freedom
to overcome evil; the pain of paternal rejection

motifs · The story of Cain and Abel; fortunes and inheritances

symbols · The Salinas Valley; Charles’s scar

foreshadowing · The names of characters foreshadow the roles they play
in reenacting the biblical story of Cain and Abel; the narrator’s introduction
of Cathy as a “monster” foreshadows her numerous evil deeds; the
narrator’s musings on the importance of the individual in shaping
human history foreshadow the idea of timshel and
the ultimately hopeful message of the novel; Samuel’s mention that
the biblical Aaron did not make it to the Promised Land foreshadows
Aron’s death.